The prospective cast members gathered at the Fertitta family-owned Palace Station Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

In total, 50 women bantamweights attended the tryouts, as well as 219 male 135-pounders.

UFC President Dana White and UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby evaluated the talent as each fighter participated in a 90-second grappling match with a fellow prospective cast member. Following an initial round of cuts, the remaining competitors then hit mitts before another round of cuts. Those remaining then interviewed with “TUF” producers, who will ultimately determine the cast of male and female fighters.

“I’m super impressed with the talent level of the women,” White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) following the session. “The girls always seem like they have a chop on their shoulder and have a lot more to prove.”

“The talent was a lot better than I thought it was going to be,” LaRosa admitted after watching the fighters perform. “I’m happy about that. Everybody looked pretty good.”

On the male side, five-time WEC veteran L.C. Davis, two-time WEC fighter Clint Godfrey, four-time Strikeforce fighter Alvin Cacdac and four-time Bellator MMA fighter Claudio Ledesma were among a handful of fighters with big-show experience to try out for “TUF 18.” A number of top prospects from gyms around the globe also attended.

UFC veterans Ulysses Gomez and Pat Schilling each attempted to try out but were turned away based on their history in the octagon.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.